Location:
Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance, 2015
Owner: Bruce Rudin | Montchanin, Delaware
Prologue:
Image Source: Nikon D750 (24.3 MP)
I finished this 8C 2300 because it offers some interesting illustration opportunities, namely a composite profile and a couple more 8C motor shots. As I've mentioned, the dearth of motor photographs in Alfa Romeo literature upsets me, so I like to give adequate service to this most vital aspect of the cars. Contrarily, the main perspective is not so well composed—a clean shot, for sure, but not as well sighted as the 1931 Zagato spider from four years prior.
References:
- Czap, Nick. Museo Storico Alfa Romeo: The catalogue. Milano, Italia: Giorgio Nada Editore, 2015, p. 57
Of the Alfas we've encountered and published, this example is one of the few for which we've no chassis number. As shown, there is no plate attached to the firewall. Please contact if you know more about the car.
So we know little beyond the basic concours description, that the chassis and body parted ways following an accident before the war, presumably in England, where the car had been originally delivered. What exists today is a newly fabricated body on the original chassis.
Even for knowing so little, it remains important to feature re-built cars as they comprise an important and not insubstantial portion of the classic car world. In many cases, communities of interest suss out the numbers game, bringing chassis and motors together across the continents. But sometimes the pursuit of genetic purity slips far behind the simple desire for a beautiful performance vehicle, something representative of history in both the way it looks and the way it drives. And in the case of machinery that was damaged and dismantled so early in life, the result here is nothing short of bionic.
Motor: 2,336 cc, straight 8-cylinder, alloy block, aluminum hemi-head
Valvetrain: DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder, gear-driven via a central mechanism between each 4-cylinder block
Aspiration: Memini S152 carburetor, Roots-type supercharger
Power: 165 bhp at 5,200 rpm
Drivetrain: 4-speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive
Front Suspension: beam axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, friction dampers
Rear Suspension: live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, Siata shock absorbers
Architecture: pressed steel chassis (described by the factory as "longerons and cross members in pressed steel," a 'longeron' being an aviation term for a stressed, load-bearing stringer) with replica aluminum coachwork
Kerb Weight: 1,000 kg (2,205 lbs)
Wheelbase: 2,750 mm (108.3 inches)
Top Speed: 185 km/h (about 115 mph)
Etymology:
'8C 2300' refers to the motor, a straight 8-cylinder of about 2.3 litres displacement. 'Corto' refers to the short chassis, (as opposed to 'lungo'). 'Mille Miglia' references Alfa's recent dominance in the 1,000-mile race, although the first group of 8C 2300 cars arrived too shortly before the 1932 race and had not been well enough prepared, leaving the business of winning the race to subsequent years, which indeed came good in 1933 and 34. The term 'spider' descended from the carriage trade, which in motorcar terminology came to refer to open sports cars. 'Zagato' identifies the Milanese coachbuilder who bodied many classic Alfa racing cars in lightweight aluminum coachwork, although in this case the aluminum body is an evocation of the original design.
Figures:
We've cited many different figures throughout the development of this portfolio, the largest of which is the factory's own figure of 308 total 8C 2300 cars produced between 1931 and 1934, comprising all manner of road and racing variants. The number of long and short-chassis racers seems as if it shouldn't be too great, and yet I continually stumble across chassis I haven't seen before, to say nothing of the registries that log many dozens of disparate examples. Suffice to say, this corto chassis is one of many, though the classic car world still wishes there were more.
Rebuilt Body: Characteristic Zagato Shape in Reconstruction
Compared with its authentic bretheren, as in the 1931 Zagato-bodied spider in our portfolio, the new coachwork looks very well executed. The running gear leap at the proper height, to the proper degree, and the linear elements follow the correct pattern. Overall, the plan is very similar to the 6C 1750 Zagato spider.
Acknowledging that the coachwork is faithful to the original, it's worth pointing to the shape of the door, which, apart from the linear body, provides angular hints in the leading edge and curved chrome trailing edge. The door is the most obvious styling gesture on the Zagato-bodied 8C, and I like that the coachbuilder did not overlap the door sill with leather, keeping the curves bare and accentuating the elbow joint—the point of convergence among the sill, the chrome belt line, the chrome on the trailing edge of the door, and the brace that frames the cockpit. With four bright edges meeting at one point, a spot of cleverness emerges in the design.
Touring Comparison: Comparing the 1932 8C 2300 Mille Miglia Cars by Touring and Zagato
Zagato's simplicity versus Touring's glam... the former might seem adequate, and yet Touring cleaned up some inherent awkwardness in the shapes and panel cuts necessitated by the windscreen and doors. The Zagato design typically uses a rectangular, two-piece windscreen, which appears upright when fixed but folds quite usefully for fast driving. More sophisticated than a large metal frame, the Touring design uses lovely, curved, form-fitting glass with wind-wings, altogether more rakish.
As for the door, Zagato cut down the sill with a handsome curve, but not so deeply as Touring. And then the linear chrome of the Zagato design gets in the way of the door gap along the leading edge, (the edge actually slices through the chrome brightwork), whereas Touring's French sweep dives gracefully below the sill. That French sweep hides Touring's door handle, whereas, to Zagato's credit, they removed the handle altogether. But then, Touring's design uses a more sophisticated hinge arrangement, nearly flush with the body compared to Zagato's protruding barrel hinges.
Back and forth, both designs offer subtle advances in cleanliness and finesse, with preferences tilted toward Touring as the car with a more cohesively rendered idea.
Siata Shocks: Adjustable Suspension Upgrade for the Period 8C 2300
Also true of the 1932 8C 2300 Corto Touring Spider, this 8C 2300 rides on adjustable rear Siata shock absorbers, provisions of the accessory manufacturer in the days before they made complete cars. As the knob indicates, the driver can adjust the rear shocks remotely, (which is exactly what the seal reads in Italian), not unlike a contemporary sports car.
Motor Comparison: Details of the 8C 2300
Reviewing the 1932 8C 2300 Corto Touring Spider, we can find numerous idiosyncrasies in the two motors' presentation. In this spot-the-difference game, we rather believe that the Touring Spider represents the perfect state, whereas this chassis here marries different components. Differences appear around the steering box and low along the crank; these are differences in tubing most notably, though I like the delicate, two-pronged brace connected to this car's steering box, with its grey-blue color matched to the bulkhead.
Last Updated: Mar 18, 2024
